Contemplating Justice
by WayWardWarrior I
Summary: After Raimundo is chosen as leader, the Monks grow stronger and keep their enemies at bay. But once the line between friend and enemy is blurred, things quickly begin to spiral out of control. Chase Young grows more powerful and the world is thrown into turmoil. In the midst of it all, one monk finds himself on a secret journey to stop an evil that outran legends.
1. Continuation and Beginnings

**A/N:**

**I've had this idea in my head for this story for years now and finally decided to thoroughly type it out after re-watching some Xiaolin Showdown. **

**One of the main things that I loved (and still do love) about Xiaolin Showdown, was the friendship between the monks, and their relationships to Master Fung and Dojo. It's what kept me hooked to watching their adventures during the series progression (well, besides the action and humor), and when Time After Time aired, all I could think about was what adventure they'd go on next. The years passed by and Xiaolin Chronicles aired.**

**For reasons apparent, this chapter takes place during the events of Time After Time, part II. The rest of this story will of course take place after that.**

**So this chapter may be long, but it's important and necessary. Future chapters will be as long or short as they need to be. To make this author's note short, let's just say I'm a believer in character development and story arcs.**

**Feel free to read and review, and critiques are welcome. _Disclaimer:_ I do not own Xiaolin Showdown.**

**Thanks for taking interest in this story, and I welcome you to read the premiere chapter of Contemplating Justice.**

* * *

_Prologue:_

**Continuation and Beginnings**

* * *

"_Now that you have risen to the rank of Shoku Warrior, your job has just begun. The survival of the world depends on you."_

"_Not too much pressure there..."_

Raimundo smirked at the hoard of villains that were amassed before charging into battle towards them with his friends. With a collective battle cry that echoed throughout the temple, The Heylin charged to clash with the Monks.

With a battle cry, each of the monks took down a villain within the first few seconds. Raimundo's foot slammed into Wuya's face, sending her shooting backwards, Clay's fist tore through a giant Jackbot, Omi sent Le Mime flying with a punch, and Kimiko landed a blow to Katnappe.

Raimundo soon found himself tearing through a plethora of Jackbots with more confidence than he could remember ever having. Gone were the worries of not being good enough; now that he had his friends here with him, fighting beside him with the same radiating confidence he had, there was no way he could doubt himself.

He quickly thrust his arm into the charging Chameleon-bot before ripping out its electronic insides and letting it lifelessly crumple to the ground. Spotting three airborne Jackbots, he kicked the Chameleon bot up at them and offhand-backhanded a recovering Le Mime as the robots exploded.

Katnappe flew sprawling past him, with a blazing Kimiko in pursuit.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!"

Kimiko's foot slammed into Katnappe's face midair, shooting her through a wall of Jackbots with a small explosion. Kimiko turned and darted her gaze around for any more opponents before she heard a shout and turned to see Vlad charging for her like a bull.

"Fire!" Kimiko kicked out a flaming leg and sent a fiery blast straight into the Russian's stomach, sending him flying over Clay with an echoing yelp.

Clay tipped his hat and gave the army of Jackbot's that surrounded him an observant once over.

"Wudai Crater, Earth!" Clay slammed his foot into the ground with a large boom, and a shadow loomed overhead before the Jackbots noticed that there were two oversized and messily uprooted trees falling towards them. They scrambled, but only a few managed to escape getting pulverized. Clay caught the two trees with each of his hands and slammed them into the remaining Jackbots, letting out a small grin as the scrap metal remains of the the Jackbots crashed to the ground.

"Wudai Neptune, Water!" Omi's voice echoed across the battlefield, and serpentine streams of water lashed at the air around him, snaking from the ground as he puffed out his chest, daring any potential challengers to come and feel the wrath of his element.

Growls and roars were heard as Chase's Jungle cat army took up the challenge and raged for Omi, their sharp fangs bared and glinting under the afternoon sun.

In a flash, Omi's water streams were whipping and slamming through the jungle cats, with some streams wrapping around the Jungle cats like boa constrictors and thrashing the felines away.

Raimundo smirked as he sent two of PandaBubba's henchmen flying with his element before proceeding to take care of his share of the Jackbots.

After kicking through a few of the remaining Jackbots in his area, he threw his gaze around to check on his teammates, smiling as he witnessed how they'd been dominating their opponents.

Then, his eyes caught sight of Chase Young. The armored Heylin warrior was standing just outside the battlefield, eying him with that usual creepy air and look of nonchalance with crossed arms.

Raimundo frowned. As calm as Chase Young looked, he could tell that Chase was itching for a fight, and probably just waiting for the right time to strike. And Raimundo stiffened slightly at that.

Even though they were tearing it up with the other Heylin nearby, Raimundo wasn't about to let Kimiko, Omi, or Clay take on someone as dangerous as Chase right now.

A small army of Jackbots decided to try and attack him, and Raimundo began to concentrate his efforts on eliminating the unwanted metal distractions so that he could concentrate on the larger looming threat.

"Shoku Astro, WIND!" Raimundo shouted, shooting his arms out and destroying the distraction with an explosion of wind torrents. As the destroyed remains of the Jackbots clanked to the ground, Raimundo sharpened his stance and shot a pointed, challenging look at Chase Young.

In response, hazel reptilian eyes narrowed ever so slightly back at him. Slowly, Chase's lips curved into a frown, and he disappeared.

A hazy flash of black and green blurred in front of Raimundo, and Raimundo knew what to expect next. He brought up a forearm just in time to block a blow from Chase, and looked straight into Chase's eyes with a look that shone with the utmost confidence and resolve.

Chase glared back, and for the slightest moment, reptilian hazel and Jade green eyes bore into each-other with radiating suppressed malice and vehement determination.

Then, the two warriors clashed, their blows and battle cries echoing across the battlefield. Their attacks clashed with raging vigor as they struck, parried, and dodged each others attacks in a series of agile movements.

In between their exchanged blows, Raimundo noticed that Chase's movements were slowing slightly, and decided to take advantage of this by striking in a wind jab, but Chase suddenly back-flipped so that he was meter's away from Raimundo. Raimundo grew a hardened look and sharpened his stance, preparing to attack until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bare foot glowing with green energy come at him from behind.

Before Raimundo could try and block or dodge the attack, a blur of yellow flashed behind him, and the Shimo staff blocked Wuya's foot from striking him, forcing Wuya to back flip off of the ice weapon.

Raimundo found himself back to back (or leg to back, because of Omi's height) with a sharp-stanced Omi.

"Fear not!" Omi said, his concentration remaining on Wuya.

"I have your spine firmly protected!"

"I got your back." Raimundo corrected. He decided to not let that botched slang reference bother him, instead concentrating on the meaning behind it with a smile.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Raimundo and Omi turned their heads to give each other friendly grins before they proceeded to fight the Heylin forces with everything they had.

Raimundo struck a parried blow to Chase as Omi thoroughly pummeled Wuya with his Shimo Staff, and this process repeated until the battle became an all out onslaught with punches, kicks, and parries on both sides.

As the battle progressed, Omi and Wuya had been distanced from Chase and Raimundo, and Omi was grinning as he was obviously winning his fight against Wuya.

Wuya began to recover from a direct hit she just took from the small monk before gritting her teeth and snapping her fingers.

Omi just remained in his stance with a confident grin. Did Wuya think she was going to win by snapping her fingers...

Near demonic growls were then heard, sending shivers up Omi's spine before he noticed a _very_ large army of winged monkey's with glowing green eyes had surrounded him. And Omi would've guessed that they were famished by the way that they were drooling.

"Mince. Him. _Up_." Wuya ordered.

The monkeys bared their fangs, and without a second to waste, hundreds of them began to pounce for Omi.

"WIND!"

All of the demonic monkeys were knocked out of the air and sent sprawling across the ground with a howling wave of wind as Raimundo landed beside him, glaring at Wuya with a look that could best be described as fiercely protective.

Raimundo's eyes narrowed at Wuya before he shot a look back to Omi to make sure the little monk was ok.

Then, he proceeded to pummel Wuya with gusts and waves of wind as Omi looked on. Omi noticed Chase Young standing on the edge of the battlefield and frowned. Raimundo probably ceased fighting Chase to save him from Wuya's demon monkeys.

Omi's eyes grew a look of determination. If Raimundo wasn't battling Chase, then he could take care of the former Xiaolin menace so that his older friend didn't have to.

Omi charged towards Chase, jumping in the air with a battle cry before landing in a stance in front of Chase.

"I trust you will not surrender, so a most humiliating defeat is in order for your next few moments." Omi said, glaring at Chase.

The corner of Chase's lips curved downwards as he looked at Omi. The look he had on his face wasn't exactly one of anger or determination...and Omi didn't quite know what to make of it. The look was empty...cold in a way that didn't seem evil and didn't seem inherently good either. It was like Chase had no interest in what was going on and was lost in his own thought, but still prepared to fight him. Omi frowned more deeply before he heard growls and turned around to see Chase's jungle cat legion eying him carefully.

Omi frowned, bracing himself for frontal and rear attacks before turning his attention back to Chase Young, only to see a cloud of green smoke and realize that Chase had vanished. He then turned around to battle the jungle cats only to see that they had vanished as well.

Omi blinked, confused.

Then his eyes caught sight of a heavily outnumbered Raimundo, and he forced his lingering confusions aside to rush and assist his friend.

With a battle cry, Omi extended his Shimo staff and swatted away a few monkey's before he found himself swatting away hundreds of demon monkey's with Raimundo.

"Wudai Crater, EARTH!"

A tree shot through the monkey's that had been giving Raimundo and Omi trouble before Clay landed by them with an earth shaking thud.

"I reckon I'm beginnin' to like my new signature weapon." Clay said, tipping his hat with a small smirk. Raimundo and Omi gave him appreciative smiles before Wuya stood and glared at them with gritting teeth, her hands lighting with green fire.

Clay, Raimundo and Omi each took stances as they prepared to face off against the witch.

"Wudai Mars, FIRE!"

A blaze of fire shot past them before crashing into Wuya with a fiery explosion that sent the Heylin witch flying rather far away from the battlefield. Raimundo, Omi, and Clay relaxed their stances, and the fire dispersed to reveal Kimiko before she jumped in the air and back flipped to land beside Raimundo, Omi and Clay.

Then, what was left of Wuya's demon monkey army began to growl and approach the monks, clearly not too happy about seeing their Master get defeated.

The four monks smirked.

"Look at them!" Dojo wailed from his position on Master Fung's shoulder, a tissue in hand as he wistfully and nostalgically watched the monks beat up an army of demon monkey's.

His little sprouts were blooming on the battlefield, trouncing an army of their enemies with coordination and fluidness that made him think back to the days of Dashi, Guan, and a good Chase.

"They're growing up so fast!" Master Fung grew a small smile at that as Dojo loudly blew his nose.

"Yes," Master Fung seemed to muse, his eyes glinting with a proud gleam.

"They are." He said softly.

A wave of wind knocked out the last remaining monkey's, and the four elemental monks grinned in triumph as the monkey's dissolved in a green dust.

Then, thousands of Jackbots began to assemble out of nowhere. There were enough Jackbots to stretch across the battlefield, and they blocked out the sunlight as they surrounded the monks. Jack Spicer stood in front of the mechanical army, an overconfident grin firmly etched on his face.

"Jackbot Brigade, dominate and annihilate!"

The army began to descend on the monks, who merely grew smug grins at the display.

Clay cracked his knuckles.

"Whadd'ya say we wrap up this here rodeo?"

The four monks shared a look of agreement before charging for the Jackbot's and springing in the air with a sudden burst of energy.

"Xiaolin Nimbus Formation!" They shouted in unison as they landed in front of the Jackbots. The ground shook and crumbled as Earth, fire, water and wind blazed through the Jackbots in the form of a powerful wave. The sound of the exploding Jackbots echoed across the entire temple before the remains of Jack's Brigade crashed to the ground.

A cloud of dust blew away in the wind to reveal the monks in a new formation. They were standing side by side, each in their own improved fighting stance as they grinned triumphantly.

Dojo wailed again at the sight before blowing an unhealthy amount of snot into his too tiny tissue. "Beautiful..." The tiny dragon cried. "Just beautiful!" Master Fung's smile seemed to brighten at the display. Dojo blew his nose again before twitching and shaking as a familiar sensation racked his reptilian form. He groaned in annoyance as a red rash began to stretch across his scales. Master Fung awkwardly eyed the small green dragon before stepping to the side as Dojo twitched off of his shoulder and onto the ground.

Jack took a look at the charred remains of his Jackbot army before looking up at the monks. He promptly wailed before turning on his helipack and hurrying off.

The monks ignored the retreating redhead before their attention turned to their last remaining opponent.

Hannibal Bean simply glared at them from atop a flapping Ying-Ying, his teeth grit as he observed the damage the monks had just done. He frowned.

He wasn't about to fight a bunch of juiced up monks with no Shen Gong Wu. He directed a pointed gaze at the improved team, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

"Let's go Ying-Ying." The bird cawed in response and began to fly away. Hannibal let his gaze linger on the monks before he and Ying-Ying disappeared into the Horizon.

The monks relaxed their stances before eying each other brightly. Raimundo turned to his fellow monks and gave them a beaming grin.

"Way to go guys! You kicked evil butt out there!"

Clay, Kimiko, and Omi smiled back at him.

"I reckon _we_ kicked evil butt out there Rai." Clay said, removing his hat before firmly plopping it on Raimundo's head.

"Yes; we have sent the forces of evil to stuff their luggage!" Omi said, beating his chest.

Kimiko and Clay looked at each other confusedly. Raimundo face-palmed.

"I think little guy's trying to say we sent them packing." Raimundo clarified. Kimiko smirked at that.

"Next time they wont be so lucky." She said.

"I'd hate to break up the big victory party..." Dojo voiced as he shuddered up to them, trying to stifle his twitching to no avail.

"But we've got a live Wu, and it's an eight point O on the fifteen hundred years of darkness scale."

* * *

"What's the 411 Dojo?" Kimiko asked from atop Dojo's back.

Dojo frowned, his brows furrowing as he soared over a mountain range in Portugal.

"The Cube of Jiya." Kimiko opened the scroll to see the effect of the Shen Gong Wu, and the others moved to look at the scroll also. It showed an image of a black figure bound by something before another figure appeared with a cube. The cube floated upwards before a black line came from it and pulled the first black figure into the cube.

The monks each arched a brow as Dojo frowned more deeply.

"It's one of the most dangerous Shen Gon Wu that Dashi ever created."

The Monks attention snapped to Dojo at hearing the serious tone in the Dragon's voice, suddenly growing even more interested in the Wu.

"Whoever possesses it can access the Yang Parallel." Dojo's eyes flashed back at the monks before he aimed his gaze back ahead.

Omi frowned.

"What is this 'Yang Parallel'?" The small monk questioned. Raimundo peeked at the scroll from behind Omi.

"It sounds like it could be like the Ying-Yang world."

"Warm, but not hot Raimundo." Dojo spoke, preparing to elaborate.

"The Yang Parallel is a world _inside_ of the Ying-Yang world that Grandmaster Dashi created as a prison." Raimundo, Clay, Kimiko, and Omi grew surprised at that.

"Dashi used the Cube of Jiya to trap some of his most dangerous enemies there." Dojo continued. "Kang the tyrant, Juan the sorcerer, Grant the great..." Dojo began to descend.

"We're talkin' magical beings powerful enough to lift mountains, drain oceans, even bend the fabric of space and time."

"If even just one of the guys on the wrong team gets their hands on it..." Dojo began.

"Then it's either 1500 years of darkness, or total world destruction." Dojo finished as he landed. The monks hopped off of the Dragon before he reverted to his normal size and settled on Clay's shoulder.

"Then we'd better find it quick before a certain evil boy genius or wannabe world emperor do." Kimiko said.

The monks surveyed the area where they landed. They were in a grassy area, but the land ahead of them had some rugged looking rocky terrain.

Kimiko quickly took in the sights before turning to Dojo.

"Can you get a lock on the Wu Dojo?" She asked. Dojo lifted Clay's hat before furrowing his brows and sniffing at the air.

"I'm getting a pretty good signal from over there," Dojo said, pointing to a nearby path that led down the mountainside. Then, Dojo shuddered, his small snout jerking in the opposite direction as a red rash began to form on his nose.

"I'm also getting some readings from there..." The monks looked at where Dojo was pointing. It was an area deeper in the mountain that was darkened by thick trees.

"You sure your Shen Gong Wu detection bone is working right Dojo?" Raimundo said, glancing at Dojo. "They're completely opposite directions!"

"Hey, this Wu's given me a pretty nasty cold, and it's messing with my senses." Dojo huffed indignantly from his position on Clay's head. "This is the best I can do!"

Raimundo sighed before turning to Clay, Kimiko, and Omi, who were eying him expectantly.

"Looks like we have to split up." Raimundo said. "Kimiko, you and Clay take the path; Omi and I'll take the creepy woods."

"Sounds like a plan." Kimiko said before taking the path down the mountainside with Clay and a sneezing Dojo.

Raimundo and Omi then began to amble through the forest, occasionally lifting up a stray rock and searching through the treetops for the Shen Gong Wu.

"Perhaps we should remember to bring cold remedies for Dojo the next time a Shen Gong Wu awakens." Omi voiced as he jumped out of a tree to see Raimundo drop a rock he'd been looking under.

"Sure. Next time we go grocery shopping, I'll stop by the Dragon pharmacy and see what I can find." Raimundo voiced, ceasing his fruitless ground search for the Shen Gong Wu.

"You go grocery shopping?"

Raimundo sighed exasperatedly.

"Forget it..."

Omi frowned before his ears picked up some faraway rustling in the bushes.

"Did you hear that, Raimundo?" Raimundo chucked aside a bucket he'd been looking in that seemingly came out of nowhere.

"Hear what Omi?"

There was another rustling sound, but this time, it was closer and louder.

Omi frowned before taking a stance as Raimundo observantly peered around the area. Omi spared a quick glance back at Raimundo before he heard a small, squeaking noise and came face to face with big, black beady eyes, a furry face, and bucked teeth.

He promptly screamed before tearing off deeper into the woods as the squirrel scurried off. He heard Raimundo worriedly call his name before he abruptly smacked face first into a cliff-side.

"That was most unpleasant..." Omi muttered, rubbing his head. He then shivered slightly as a chill brushed his small form before standing and looking around to see where he was.

He was in a small clearing that was lined with trees on one side, and a cliff-side that lead to a higher peak on the other. For some reason, the area he was in suddenly got darker, clouding over as another chill breezed in the air. Omi frowned and forced his body to ignore the cold before his eyes caught sight of something embedded in the mountainside.

It was a whitish light blue cube that looked rather plain, other than the strange glowing wisp of energy inside of it. Omi's eyes widened at the mystifying object before he realized what it most likely was;

The Cube of Jiya.

"Leopard Strike!" He shouted, jabbing in a hand to free the Cube from its embedded place in the mountainside. He pulled out the Cube and grinned triumphantly.

"Yes! I have found the Cube of Jiya!"

A figure blazed into Omi, knocking him onto his back with an 'oomph' as the Cube flung out of his hands.

"You'd think you'd learn not to announce finding a new Shen Gong Wu to the world by now."

Omi quickly sprang up off of the ground and into a stance at the familiar voice.

"Wuya!" Wuya smirked as she tauntingly tossed the Cube of Jiya in one hand.

"In the flesh, cream-puff." Omi glared at her as he remained in his stance, and momentarily wondered how she'd gotten here so fast until he caught sight of one of Jack Spicer's hovercars and answered his own mental question.

"I'd love to stay and catch up," Wuya said. "But I have evil allies to free and pathetic worlds to conquer-

"Wudai Neptune, Water!"

Omi shot at Wuya with a battle cry, slamming a wave of water into her and knocking the cube out of her hands. Omi lunged for the cube before a sharp nailed hand pulled him back and flung him into a tree. Wuya grinned triumphantly before running to the Cube of Jiya

She snatched the Cube and was about to make off with the prize until Omi's voice bellowed in her ears.

"Shimo Staff!" A familiar ice lance touched the Cube of Jiya, and it began to glow. Wuya's teeth grit before she glared back to see a determined looking Omi glaring at her with an extended Shimo staff gripped firmly his hands, the tip of which was touching the Cube of Jiya. Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko skidded into the area at that moment, and Kimiko and Clay did their best to catch their breath as Raimundo eyed Omi and Wuya's standoff.

"Wuya," Omi began. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Wuya frowned.

"I wager my Monkey Staff for your Shimo Staff." She said. Omi nodded, momentarily wondering just how Wuya got the Monkey Staff.

"The game is rock climbing; first to reach the top without falling wins!" Omi said.

"I accept." Wuya said. The area was consumed in a bright light before the ground that Omi and Wuya stood on shot up in the air. A cliffside erupted in front of them, seemingly stretching to the sky before dark Grey clouds encompassed the sky overhead, eclipsing the sun and only allowing small rays of light to shine through on the challenge field. Another pillar of stone emerged from the ground for the spectators, lifting Clay, Raimundo, and Kimiko high enough to overlook the entire mountain.

Omi stood clad in his Wudai armor, glaring at Wuya before he crouched as he prepared to scale the mountain.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" The two shouted in unison.

Wuya wasted no time in scaling the mountain, vaulting herself on the cliffside and clawing her way up the mountain as Omi blazed up the mountain, gripping whatever stable rocks he could grasp and scaling the cliffside with ease.

"Go Omi!" Kimiko cheered.

"You get 'em little fella!" Clay voiced. Omi grinned up at his friends before speeding his ascent. Wuya frowned up at the yellow monk, her teeth clenching. If she was going to win this, she had to start getting her hands dirty. She glanced at the only Shen Gong Wu she had and frowned further. The Monkey Staff. She'd stolen it from Jack while that imbecile was wailing and fleeing the Monks one sided temple battle royale. She didn't want to grow a tail, not now or anytime within the next 1500 years, but she had to win this Wu. If she didn't, she'd be stuck trying to crawl back to Chase, and she was tired of being a glorified housekeeper.

"Monkey Staff!" She forced down a shudder and ignored the sudden extra appendage she gained on her posterior before agilely scaling the mountain, and easily passing up Omi.

Omi frowned and lifted down his armor mask before pulling out his Wudai weapon.

"Shimo Staff!" Omi whipped it across the air, sending several ice projectiles at Wuya. Wuya noticed the projectiles moments before they could hit her, and dodged them all in a series of acrobatic movements.

"You'll have to do better than that Cheeseball." Wuya let out a monkey noise and frowned at herself before resuming scaling the mountain as Omi trailed behind.

"C'mon Omi! You can do this!" Kimiko said. Clay eyed the scene worriedly as Raimundo's eyes gazed intensely at the scene below.

Omi looked up at Wuya, frowning as he rummaged through his mind for an idea to stop her from winning this showdown.

An idea flashed through his head before he grinned.

"Wudai Neptune, ICE!" Water flew up at Wuya, and she smiled smugly before dodging it.

"Better work on your strategy." She taunted, looking down at Omi before kicking at a nearby protruding area of the cliffside. A piece of the cliffside broke away before falling towards Omi.

Worry flashed on Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo's faces as they watched the rock hurl towards Omi.

"ICE!"

Omi froze the boulder before slamming the Shimo Staff into it, shattering it to pieces. Wuya frowned at seeing Omi thwart her attempt to squish him before turning her attention back to scaling the mountain. She didn't notice that the area ahead was frozen though, and she slipped as soon as she tried to climb further. She began to fall with a loud yelp as Omi grinned.

"My strategy seems to have 'worked' most excellently." He said, speeding up his ascent of the mountain. Wuya grabbed a protruding area of the cliffside to prevent herself from falling further before looking at Omi. The yellow monk was almost at the top. At this rate, he'd win the Wu soon; but Wuya wasn't about to let that happen.

Letting out another monkey noise, she started to vault herself up the cliffside, but it seemed Omi had already had a plan to quash any chance she had of getting to the top.

"Shimo Staff, Water!" Omi swept his staff down at Wuya, and as he did so, a huge wave of water was sent downwards at Wuya, crashing into her and sending her falling with an echoing yelp as Omi vaulted up the cliffside and landed at the top with a triumphant grin. The area was encompassed in a bright light before the scenery reverted back to normal. The surrounding mountains shrunk back to regular size, and the sky began to clear before Omi appeared by his friends, holding the Monkey Staff, Shimo Staff, and the Cube Of Jiya.

"You did great out there Omi!" Raimundo said, grinning brightly down at the youngest monk. Omi gave his friends a small smile as they complimented his performance in the Showdown.

"Way to take out the trash!"

"Nice job partner!"

Wuya frowned and dusted herself off before glaring at the monks. Her teeth grit slightly as she watched them cheer for Omi and celebrate the small monks victory before she frowned further. Now that she didn't have the Cube of Jiya, she had to try and work up her alliances again. Chase was probably already suspicious of her by now, and she had to come up with a plan to save face. She figured she could still try and steal the cube from the monks some other time, but with how strong they'd become lately, Wuya figured the chances of that plan succeeding were slim. She frowned further, walking off into the forest to mull over her situation and find that Hovercar she stole from Jack.

"Alright kids," Dojo voiced, slithering to the ground and glancing up at them.

"Time to get back to the temple and put that thing under lock and key." Dojo said as he enlarged, eying the Cube of Jiya.

The monks hopped on him, and he soared to the skies.

Omi looked at his friends as Dojo flew them back to the temple, and his smile faded into a small grin as he watched them talk and joke about the day's events. How easy it was to defeat Jack's robots, PandaBubba, and Katnappe, how Wuya had been sent 'packing'.

As he looked at his friends, his eyes idly wandered to Raimundo's new Shoku robes before his small grin faded into a morose frown.

* * *

Sharp reptilian eyes gazed at the silhouette of a serpentine form gliding through the skies, narrowing as they watched the silhouette land in a cluster of pagodas and abbeys that had been darkened by the evening sky. Reds and golds spilled across the heavens, fusing with the slightest hints of blue and white to set the sky ablaze in a picturesque sunset that sent fading rays of light across the skies and mountains, cloaking the figure that the reptilian eyes belonged to in the shadow of trees as he stood on a cliff, watching his targets from high and afar.

A breeze shuffled the trees, momentarily shifting them just enough to allow a wayward ray of light to reveal the identity of the figure.

As the breeze brushed against his armor, Chase Young continued to eye his targets with a pensive scowl as his mind lingered on the past years events; specifically the trials and advancements of four certain monks that he was watching.

He'd observed them for quite a while now, studying their strengths and weaknesses; finding their most dangerous traits, watching them grow.

They'd grown quite a bit in ways he hadn't even imagined, and at a speed that left his former plans of exploiting them in the dust.

No longer were they just a thorn in his side;

No – certainly not. Now, they're a force to be reckoned with. Little Omi was no longer an easy target – actually, Chase was beginning to think that Omi was never an easy target. He'd probably assumed that Omi and his friends shared the same connection that he'd had with Dashi and Guan: almost none.

The smiles and laughter, the joking and mischief; none of that seemed tangible to him. It was probably a mask; a front for the feelings that the monks truly had for each other.

Today, he was proven sorely wrong about his assumptions.

Omi truly cherished his friends, and his friends had made it very clear that they cherished him also.

And for some truly confounding reason, that had actually seemed to make Omi stronger. Omi was still naïve, reckless, and even to some extent gullible, but now he had a wall to protect him from himself: His friends.

And as long as that wall stood, supporting and protecting little Omi from his own faults and providing Omi with the strength and confidence and bonds that the young monk foolishly believed he needed, the monks would grow even more powerful. Powerful enough to stop evil from fulfilling its ultimate purpose.

Eyes narrowing further, his frown deepened.

He couldn't let that happen. The monks must be stopped. Omi must either join the dark side or be destroyed.

That wall must _crumble_.

His eyes stayed fixed on the area where his targets were no doubt joking and laughing and bragging to each other about how the forces of evil were quaking in their boots. But little did they know, the situation was far from it.

Then, Chase sensed something that made his brows knit slightly;

A presence.

Someone else was here, and they'd made their presence known. Chase remained still though, not sensing an immediate threat from the presence.

But once he could sense the presence close behind him, Chase turned his head slightly to eye whomever it was who had the audacity to approach him in this manner. His eyes showed a look of displeasure as he viewed the person before him.

The sight that greeted his eyes was an orange-cloaked figure with a mysterious air that even Chase couldn't place. There was a short silence as Chase eyed the figure, a breeze whistling by as the figure was unmoving. Chase grew mildly interested at the person before him before the cloaked man slowly removed his orange hood and said something that made Chase's eyes glint with intrigue.

"I have a proposition for you."


	2. Blurred Lines

.

* * *

_Chapter 1:_

**Blurred Lines**

* * *

_6 months later..._

"Hannibal Bean-" Omi shot a glare at the scowling Heylin before shooting a glare at the witch who accompanied him."-Wuya-"

"Raimundo and I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Hannibal bean and Wuya frowned.

"Our Denshi Bunny and Cannon Blaster against your Falcon's Eye and Golden Finger!" Wuya said. Omi nodded before Raimundo spoke up.

"The game is hide and go seek team tag! First team to find and tag the other wins!"

Hannibal smirked at Raimundo's challenge, yellow teeth gleaming under the light from the Shen Gong Wu that the four had their hands on.

"How about we make things interesting?" He said. Raimundo frowned as Omi grew curious.

"A Shen Yi Bu dare." Raimundo and Omi instantly frowned at the suggestion, and Hannibal widened his smirk at their reactions before continuing.

"Add our Shadow Slicer and Woozy Shooter for your Moby Morpher and Kuzusu Atom."

On the sidelines, Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo's eyes widened.

"How did that no good legume know we brought the Moby Morpher and the Kuzusu Atom?" Clay said, glaring at Hannibal Bean.

"I'm going to take a wild guess." Kimiko said, eying the smirking Ying Ying bird that circled above them.

"At any rate," Dojo voiced. "It looks like Hannibal Bean's trying to get his signature Wu back." Dojo frowned. "And he's teamed up with Wuya again to do it. Rai and Omi are going to have to get on their A-game for this one."

"We accept!" Omi and Raimundo said in unison. A bright light encompassed the area, and the scenery began to change as determined looks flashed on Hannibal, Omi, Wuya, and Raimundo's faces. The abandoned Russian cathedral that the Monks were in rapidly expanded, its red walls enlarging and Baroque ceiling heightening as walls erupted from it to form labyrinths. A balcony formed, and Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo appeared on it before the challenging teams below glared fiercely at each other and shouted the signal to begin.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" Instantly, darkness enshrouded the area, as if someone had flipped a light switch.

"I can't see diddly!" Clay said. Kimiko pulled out a few pairs of glowing green goggles and handed two to Dojo, who promptly slapped a pair on Clay.

"Night vision goggles." Kimiko explained. "Kicking Jack's butt and trashing his place has its perks."

"Plus it's very entertaining." Dojo added.

"Much obliged, Kimiko." Clay said, tipping his hat and smiling at her before eying the scene below.

Below, Omi and Raimundo were staying in their positions, as were Hannibal and Wuya.

"This will likely be a most difficult showdown." Omi voiced in the darkness as he leaned against a wall.

"But do not worry, I shall ultimately win the Pangu Projector!" Raimundo rolled his eyes in the darkness before lifting a Shen Gong Wu.

"We'd better keep the volume down if we don't want to give away our positions Omi."

"Of course! I am a Master of silence."

Raimundo deadpanned at him before pressing his Wu to his eye.

"Falcon's Eye!" He murmured, gazing all around the area to look for Hannibal and Wuya. Once he discovered their hiding place, he removed the Falcon's eye from his eye and tapped Omi's shoulder lightly.

"I have a plan." Raimundo said, being careful to keep his voice down.

Raimundo placed the Falcon's eye in Omi's hands.

"Use the Falcon's eye to see Hannibal and Wuya. I'll draw them out, and when they get close; that's when you'll use the Golden Finger to freeze them. Then, I'll tag them both and we'll win back the Wu they stole plus the Pangu Projector."

Omi blinked. It was a most ingenious plan, but _he_ could have thought of it...

Omi nodded, and Raimundo sprung into action.

In the darkness, Hannibal and Wuya frowned.

"You'd better have a game plan Hannibal; I don't want to come out of this empty-handed." Hannibal Bean frowned.

"This is a most perplexing challenge that our dear Raimundo has chosen." He said.

"Our current Wu are useless in our situation. I have an idea, but we'll have to wait until-

"Hey Bean breath! Old Hag! Let's get this thing over with! I'm ready to whip your sorry butts into next Sunday!" Raimundo's voice called.

Slowly, Hannibal's frown turned into a mischievous grin.

"It appears we've just been given a most wonderful opportunity." He said. Wuya grew a matching grin before directing her attention to where she heard Raimundo's voice.

Omi eyed Hannibal Bean and Wuya through the Falcon's eye before turning to spare a quick glance at Raimundo. The older Xiaolin warrior was making 'come and get it' motions with his hands before he flashed a thumbs up back at Omi. Omi turned his attention back to Hannibal Bean and Wuya, who were quickly heading for Raimundo. With a frown, Omi lifted the golden finger.

"Perhaps _I_ shall tag Hannibal and Wuya." He thought out loud. He looked at the foes one more time, the look on his face growing resolute. First he had to get closer to the two so he could tag them as soon as they were frozen.

He began to run for Hannibal, who was closest to him. Hannibal heard the patter of footsteps and frowned.

So this was Omi and Raimundo's plan, he thought with an evil grin, to draw him and Wuya out so that they'd get tagged. Hannibal smirked and lifted one of his wagered Shen Gong Wu before loudly calling its name.

"Shadow Slicer!" Omi skidded to a halt as he saw multiple Hannibal Beans through his Falcon's eye.

The Hannibals smirked at him before they all ran for Raimundo. Panicking, Omi pointed the Golden Finger at the Hannibal that was closest to Raimundo.

"Golden Finger!" He grinned triumphantly as a golden halo of light glowed around the bean. But his smile dropped from his face once the Hannibal that he thought he froze disappeared in a misty haze to reveal a glowing and unmoving Raimundo.

"That was not supposed to happen." Omi squeaked.

"Denshi Bunny!" An electric Hannibal Bean zipped into Omi, effectively tagging the small monk. Wuya smirked at the scene as the golden light ceased around Raimundo. Raimundo frowned, clenching his teeth at the glowing Hannibal before jumping in the air with a battle cry and striking a blow at the Bean, only to strike a Shadow Slicer Hologram. Raimundo clenched his teeth and turned to look for Hannibal, suddenly coming face to face with a Woozy Shooter holding and very smug-faced Wuya.

"Woozy Shooter." Wuya said, shooting a cloud of purple haze in Raimundo's face. Raimundo stumbled backwards slightly before growing a goofy grin and slurring.

"Sparkles...They're everywhere!" He drawled, stumbling around as Hannibal grew an evil smirk.

"And They're very pretty...and _spaaarkly_." Wuya smirked at the sight as Hannibal came towards her.

"This is easier than takin' candy from a baby." Hannibal said, rubbing his vine hands together with an evil grin.

"Oh look, a talking Jellybean..." Raimundo slurred doltishly as he wavered behind Hannibal.

"Tag." Hannibal said, backhanding Raimundo with a smack and concluding the Showdown. The area flashed white before it began to revert back to normal. Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo removed their night vision goggles just in time to see all of the Wu wagered and won appear in Hannibal's vine arms.

Hannibal's smirk widened before he turned to Wuya and handed her the Golden Finger, Falcon's Eye, Cannon Blaster, and Pangu Projector.

"Your cut, my dear." Wuya grinned as she accepted her take of the Wu.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Hannibal." She said before exiting the area. Hannibal grinned back at her and shrunk in size, holding a bag with the rest of the Shen Gong Wu as he settled on Ying Ying once she swooped to catch him. He flew out of the abandoned cathedral with an echoing evil chuckle as Clay, Kimiko, Raimundo and Omi looked at his retreating form.

A now sober Raimundo directed a glare at Omi as Clay and Kimiko looked at each other.

"Thanks to you," Raimundo began, his glare intensifying slightly.

"We just lost a boatload of Shen Gong Wu!" Raimundo fumed. "Again!"

Omi directed an indignant look up at him.

"We would not have lost the Shen Gong Wu if it was not for your smack plan!" He retorted.

Raimudo's face reddened.

"If you had actually _followed_ the plan, we'd have our Wu back!" Raimundo pointed a finger in the direction that Hannibal flew off in.

"And Bean Breath wouldn't have two of the most dangerous ones!" Omi's indignant frown deepened.

"Perhaps if you hadn't failed to tag Wuya, we may have won-

"Maybe if you didn't freeze me! That wasn't part of the plan Omi!" Omi huffed at that.

"You need to listen to what I say." Raimundo said, calming down.

"I do not need you to order me in circles for me to succeed Raimundo." Omi said, watching the red tinge in Raimundo's face dissipate.

"And nor do Kimiko and Clay. We are Shoku warriors." Omi continued.

"Still Omi," Clay said. "It wouldn't hurt to let Rai have a little inklin' of what your doin' before goin' off the reserve." Omi frowned before looking at Raimundo, who was looking at him with a disapproving frown and crossed arms.

"Though you _have_ been mighty momma bear with us lately." Clay added, looking at Raimundo. "We know you mean well, but we can handle our own rodeos partner."

The anger evaporated from Raimundo's frown, replaced by something else.

"Just relax Rai." Kimiko said. "You're a great leader and we won a ton of Wu thanks to your ideas." Raimundo grew a small smile at that.

"We're just on a little losin' streak right now, partner." Clay said, tipping his hat up to flash an encouraging blue eye. "I'm sure once we all get back to the temple and get some grub and rest, we'll get back to our zen mode and be tearin' evil a new one by sundown tomorrow."

Dojo jumped off of Clay's shoulder. "I sure hope so. You kids really need to get it back in gear." Dojo said, enlarging as the monks looked at each other. Then the monks hopped on Dojo, and Dojo took to the skies, heading back to the temple.

* * *

Back at the temple, the sun had long gone down. Sunset had passed, yet the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, instead maintaining a light foggy glare of light that had begun to slowly delve into the horizon. Dark clouds billowed in the skies, with Blue and Grey nimbus's smoldering together as the first grumbles of thunder were heard echoing throughout the sky. A flash of lightning sparked abruptly, preceding a pounding hail of rain that showered from the dreary clouds.

All of the monks were inside. Save for one, who was hopping from bamboo pole to bamboo pole,

Practicing. Training. Thinking.

Green eyes stared at a black and red sleeve that was drenched by the rain before they hardened and aimed their gaze straight ahead, with thick brown brows creasing above them in concentration.

A boom of thunder sounded, but Raimundo didn't let it distract or faze him. Instead, he flipped to another bamboo pole and immersed himself in his thoughts.

With the forces of evil suddenly gaining traction, he was worried. Not just worried, but frustrated. Conflicted. Anxious.

Doubtful.

After he'd become leader of Clay, Kimiko, and Omi, they'd curb stomped evil until it was cowering in corners. Wuya didn't come near them, Hannibal kept failing at trying to play them, and Chase Young just plain didn't mess with them anymore.

The team was at its best. Their friendship was at its best.

His eyes squinted slightly through the rain as he prepared to jump to another pole.

Then, things changed.

Kimiko, Clay, and the little guy became Shoku Warriors, and they'd come a step closer to mastering their elements together; as a _team_. But then …

_Omi._ Somewhere in between kicking evils butt and becoming closer as a team and as _family_, things just began to fall out of sync with the little dude.

Once Omi became a Shoku Warrior, he began to raise points and ask questions that at first, didn't faze Raimundo. But then Omi would say things that slowly began to cling to him.

Omi would say how since he'd been training his whole life at the temple that he was more qualified to be leader. He started to say how since he'd been more experienced, that he should be the one making decisions.

And once the teams losing streak started, Raimundo found himself thinking that maybe, just maybe,

Omi had a point.

Raimundo knew that Master Fung didn't pick Omi for a reason- and it had to be a good reason for Master Fung not to pick the monk that he personally trained since birth. And slowly, Raimundo found himself wondering what that reason was. Maybe it was the little guys ego. That was the only thing that really stood out to Raimundo.

Another crack of lightning flashed, and Raimundo ignored it, his thoughts continuing on.

As annoying as Omi could be, there were so many good qualities to the little guy. Omi fought with near unmatched skill, he'd been trained in the ways of the Xiaolin and he had the honor of a true warrior. In what way was he _not_ the better choice?

Raimundo figured that he could give himself some more credit. After all, he managed to lead the team and come up with strategies that guided his team to save the world on a weekly basis. Maybe Master Fung chose him because he was pretty smart, reasonably patient, made good choices...

Another flash of lightning, and Raimundo almost flinched as his thoughts flashed back to one of his darkest moments. The worst choice he'd ever made.

Joining Wuya.

As if on cue, the sky darkened as the pounding raindrops hailed down on him more forcefully, further drenching his clothes and hair.

It was a stupid mistake to make, but he'd learned from it. He figured out what was truly important to him. It wasn't money or fame, appreciation or power—it wasn't even all of the things that Wuya had promised him and actually delivered on.

It was his teammates. His friends. His _family_.

Even though he did the right thing in the end, he'd still nearly ended the world and almost got all of his family _killed_.

Maybe he wasn't the right choice.

Omi, Clay, Kimiko...they all probably would have been great choices.

Omi was dedicated, skilled, loyal...

Kimiko was smart, tenacious, courageous...

Clay was patient, kind, and humble...

They were all great. Amazing.

So what was it that Master Fung saw in him that he didn't see in the others?

A freezing gust of wind howled by, further chilling Raimundo's soaking wet form.

He knew to trust Master Fung's decisions now. He knew to trust that Master Fung could make the right choices, for whatever his reasons were. But Raimundo found himself frustrated; wondering why Master Fung chose him.

For a moment as he stayed in his stance on a bamboo pole, the concentration on his face faltered.

He knew he was destined to be Dragon of the Wind. But what made him destined to be leader?

"I sense something is troubling you, young monk."

At hearing Master Fung's voice, Raimundo's brows lowered slightly in contemplation. Master Fung stayed at his position by the temple, his knowing blue orbs gazing out into the training fields at his young student as rain hailed heavily.

He could see hesitation in his student. Doubt. Conflict.

"Why pick me?"

Master Fung's brow arched ever so slightly at Raimundo's words.

"I know that you had a reason for choosing me as leader – a _good_ one. But I just..." Raimundo paused.

"Why not Clay or Kimiko...or Omi?"

Silence flooded the air. The rain still splattered and hailed, the wind still howled and cried, and the thunder still grumbled and roared, but the two Xiaolin warriors were silent.

Then, Master Fung spoke, softly breaking the silence with his next puzzling words.

"Do you recall what happened on the day that I assigned you and the others the task of choosing a Shoku quest?"

Raimundo frowned. What did this have to do with his question? But then Raimundo's gaze lowered, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to remember.

"No...not really. Everything's still kinda foggy." Everything from that day was; Images of him hoarding pigs, a good Chase Young, an evil Master Monk Guan, and a Cosmic clash Showdown floated around in his mind, but he didn't know what to make of them. And the memories themselves had slowly begun to fade.

"Kimiko, Omi, and Clay informed me that a Cosmic Clash Showdown occurred, one in which you simultaneously fought the greatest forces of evil." Master Fung told Raimundo.

"I was told by them that it was you whom ultimately rose to the occasion, and led them to victory." Suddenly, there was a spark in Raimundo's mind as the memories flooded his head. Fighting Chase Young, Wuya, Hannibal Bean, and an evil Master Monk Guan - watching Clay, Kimiko, and Omi fight with everything they had as he made sure that they didn't get stuck with more than they could chew.

Master Fung watched as Raimundo's form changed. His shoulders lost their stiff posture, his head raising slightly as the rain began to lighten.

"It may not seem it," Master Fung began as he watched Raimundo's stance relax. "but this is something that Clay, Kimiko, and especially little Omi know in their hearts:"

Master Fung's eyes took on a glint of passion.

"Leader of the Xiaolin dragons is not a title that I simply gave you Raimundo. It is a title that you _earned_."

Raimundo grew a small smile, his eyes brightening as Master Fung's words sunk in.

His moment of enlightenment was cut short when a loud boom was heard. He turned his head to look at he source of the sound before seeing debris flying everywhere on the north side of the temple. Eyes hardening, he propelled himself off of his bamboo pole to fly to the north side of the temple as Master Fung looked on with a content smile.

* * *

Raimundo landed in a stance in the middle of Clay, Kimiko, and Omi, and smirked as he eyed the cause of the ruckus.

Jack's Jackbot army was just past the entrance of the temple, lined up like a well coordinated marching band as they aimed lasers and sharp metallic limbs at the monks.

"Feast your eyes on my new and improved Jackbots!" Jack said, buzzing in front of his army on his helipack.

Clay frowned, Raimundo and Omi raised a brow, and Kimiko just grew an annoyed look before lighting her hands with her element.

"Don't mean to offend Spicer, but they look jus' like your old and improved Jackbots."

"And we're gonna cream them just like the old ones too." Kimiko added. Jack just smirked before pulling out a random remote and pressing the large red button it had.

On cue, the sound of shifting and scraping metal was heard as the Jackbots slowly merged with each other, cranking and molding until the masses of Jackbots became four, giant and menacing looking robots.

"That's where you're wrong, losers!" Jack's evil grin spread wider. "These Bots are going to turn you into mincemeat. Let's see the mighty Shoku Warriors try and take down _these_ bad babies." Jack pointed a condescending finger at the monks before nodding his head back at the four giant Jackbots.

"Jack giants, annihilate them!" Lasers the size of tractor trailers pointed at the Monks within seconds of the order.

Omi's eyes narrowed at them before he threw a side glance to Raimundo, who gave an affirmative nod.

"Xiaolin Nimbus Formation!" The monks all shouted in unison, sliding into formation as their elemental glows surrounded them.

"Shoku Mars, Fire!" Kmiko shouted, erupting from the formation in a blaze of scorching flames before spinning like a top in the air and shooting hails of fire that blew up one robot and sent another tumbling backwards.

"Shoku Neptune, Water!" Jack's eyes popped out of his head as a tidal wave descended from the sky and crashed into one of the Jackbots that Kimiko damaged, plunging it to the ground with an explosion of shorted circuits and metal pieces.

"Shoku Astro, Wind!" Raimundo shot himself in the air and whirled into a roundhouse kick that sent powerful gusts of wind that sliced through the remaining two robots limbs. Then, he raised his arms and shouted,

"Wind!" With a howling cry, bursts of wind shot the Jackbots high in the air.

"Shoku Jupiter, Earth!" Clay shouted, plunging his foot down with a near deafening stomp that sent a giant chunk of the ground shooting up through the remaining airborne Jackbots. A fiery explosion ensued that sent Jackbot parts raining to the ground below. Jack watched the mangled debris fall, his evil grin now gone as he futilely held a tiny umbrella to shield himself from the dropping disembodied pieces of his boasted creations.

"No fair..." Jack whimpered, his gaze rooted on the destruction the monks caused.

"I-I wanna redo!"

Clay cracked his stone encased knuckles with an enthusiastic grin.

"Some other time..." Jack squeaked, backing up slightly before whirling around and running in the opposite direction as he screamed his trademark scream.

The monks watched as Jack scampered away from the temple.

"If this is the best the forces of evil have to offer," Clay said, tipping his hat as he watched Jack trip over a broken Jackbot part with another girly scream.

"Then I'm gonna be sleepin' more soundly than a Texas armadillo from here on out." Kimiko dispersed the fire from her hands.

"Yeah, that wasn't even a workout."

Omi frowned.

"Whilst I do see that Jack is becoming even more pathetic than he usually is-

"Which is really saying a _lot_." Raimundo interjected.

"He could still become a credible threat."

Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko looked at Jack tripping over more Jackbot parts and yelping before they looked at Omi incredulously.

Then, Omi broke out into a wide grin.

"I am merely Jaking you, my friends." They breathed a sigh before Omi puffed his chest out.

"With a Shoku warrior as skilled as me on our team, Jack Spicer stands no chance against us!"

Three indignantly bloated heads glared at Omi before he shrank and chuckled nervously.

"Eh heh...I meant to say that Jack Spicer stands no chance against us..._equally_ skilled Shoku Warriors?"

Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko calmed down before Raimundo eyed the darkened sky.

"It's getting a little late, guys. Might be time for some shuteye." Clay let out a deep yawn at Raimundo's suggestion.

"Yeah. I'm more tired than an after hours racehorse."

Raimundo stretched his arms over his head and yawned too.

"We'll clean up Jack's litter tomorrow."

* * *

Later that night, snoring filled the dark temple hallways as the monks slept peacefully. Kimiko was carefully tucked in, her hair splayed across her sleeping mat as soft snoring escaped her lips. Clay was almost a complete contrast to this, snoring loudly as he turned over and buried his messy yellow hair in his pillow. Omi had attempted (and somehow succeeded) at sleeping on the ceiling, and was in his usual upside-down position, as silent as the night. Raimundo snored somewhat heavily as he clutched Ninja Fred against his cheek, pulling his sheets up to his chin as he buried his cheek further into his stuffed bear.

The feeling in the air was calm, serene even.

A light draft blew by, shuffling the monks' curtains lightly. The disturbance only caused Clay to turn over again and increase the decibels of his snoring, whilst Kimiko only lightly murmured something in her sleep as Omi's face remained stoic, still in his meditation-like sleeping position on his ceiling. Raimundo stirred slightly before awakening, sitting up and letting Ninja Fred fall to his lap. He glanced at the shuffling curtains, the presumed reason for his interrupted sleep, before yawning lightly.

"Strange." He mused tiredly before pulling his sheet up and preparing to resume his sleep. "I'm usually a heavy sleeper..." He yawned again and plopped back down on his mat to fall back asleep before his eyes shot open and he sat back up.

He sensed something. Something off. He knew he didn't exactly have Omi's tiger instincts, but he'd been honing his, and he knew there was definitely something or someone here.

A black blur flashed by his cubicle, confirming his suspicions before he grabbed his blade of the Nebula from his bedside and took off down the temple halls.

Outside, the full moon shone brightly in the sky as the storm clouds from earlier in the day were in their final stages of clearing. Light breezes of wind chilled the air slightly, shifting blades of grass that lined the temple pagoda's whilst whistling through the otherwise calm night.

The calmness was broken when Raimundo skidded outside, the Blade of the Nebula firmly gripped in his hands as he cast his alert gaze out into the night in search for an intruder.

Eyes scanning the area, he frowned.

It was empty.

There was no sign of an intruder. All his eyes picked up was the usual scene of the temple at night.

A few lit lanterns lined some of the pagoda's to provide light to the areas that the moonlight couldn't reach, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see some temple monks emerging from late night meditation, but he paid no heed to them. Instead, he concentrated on the looming feeling in the back of his mind that kept telling him that there was something here.

His eyes failed to notice the pair of yellow eyes that glowed above a tall temple pagoda, watching him from under the moonlight.

As he continued darting his alert gaze over the courtyard, he could feel the presence more prominently. That looming feeling he had was starting to grow stronger; the feeling that something was here, and that that something was undoubtedly evil.

The feeling was almost crushing, and he found himself holding his breath as he momentarily wondered if this was how Omi felt when he used his tiger instincts to sense evil. A drop of sweat slid down his face as he gripped his blade of the Nebula harder, momentarily wishing that he'd woken the others up for backup on whatever evil he was about to face.

The presence loomed closer, and the feeling began to wash over him in waves. He wasn't holding his breath now so much as he was constricted by the toxicity of the venomous aura, and as it gripped him more tightly, he knew that whatever evil that was here was getting close, and was probably just moments away from revealing itself.

Barely seconds later, a black and bronze blur flashed from above. Then, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows, his eyes ceasing their inhuman yellow glow as the moonlight encompassed his features to overtake the shadows.

"Hello, Raimundo." Chase Young greeted smoothly, the ominous undertone in his voice ever present as he stood before Raimundo.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Raimundo demanded, pushing whatever anxiety he had to the back of his mind as he gripped his Blade of the Nebula.

"A little overconfident, aren't we? I can see the fear in you radiating in waves." He said. Raimundo's scowl deepened at that.

"But there's no need to be alarmed." Chase said, hardly easing Raimundo's anxiety. He had no idea why Chase was here, but whatever reason he decided to show his scaly butt, it couldn't be good. Raimundo sharpened his stance, doing his best to look more intimidating as he tried to figure out why Chase was here, but Chase's next words only had Raimundo's mind in confusion.

"I've merely come for a simple..._visit_."

Chase's eyes flashed to the approaching group of temple monks, and Raimundo carefully followed the Heylin warrior's line of sight, his eyes widening as Chase's intentions became loud and clear.

Chase vanished with a hazy blur before reappearing in front of the temple monks and bringing down an arm blazing with dark green energy for an attack.

"Wind!"

Raimundo flashed in front Chase Young with a gust of wind, his eyes directing a fierce glare at Chase Young as he held back Chase's attack with the blade of his Wudai Weapon. Without waiting for another strike from Chase, Raimundo quickly called on the full power of his Wudai weapon.

"Blade of the Nebula!"

The blue weapon flashed in a white light, transforming into a pair of wind nunchucks in the blink of an eye, and Chase's eyes narrowed as the tornado that swirled between the weapons handles began to damage his armor. The Heylin warrior back-flipped a fair distance away before Raimundo started a powerful offensive.

"Shoku Astro, Wind!" With a whip of his nunchaku, Raimundo sent a twister raging at Chase, intent on taking down the armored Heylin warrior.

Chase Young simply smirked.

When the wind attack closed the distance, barreling from mere feet away towards Chase, Raimundo witnessed something he'd thought impossible.

Before the attack could strike, Chase Young _grabbed_ his wind attack, morphing it into some sort of dark green energy and shooting it back at him.

With no time to react, Raimundo was shot back crashing through a temple Pagoda.

The temple monks eyes widened as they witnessed the attack.

"Chase Young!" One of them gasped. Another Monk frowned at the scene. "We must sound the temple alarm!"

The first monk whirled around and sprinted towards the alarm bells. He'd managed to travel about two feet before he was stopped in his tracks by a green-energy wielding Chase Young. He took a few horrified steps backwards before yelping in fear when Chase raised a glowing hand that flared with energy for an attack.

"_Tempest Fist_, WIND!" The monk barely had time to blink when a fist composed entirely of howling wind shot past him and seemingly into Chase, also managing to hurl through a pagoda and explode it into splinters and rubble.

The monk looked to see who his rescuer was when he saw Raimundo in a firm fighting stance, his eyes rooted on the area where he'd assumed he sent Chase sprawling. Raimundo frowned, knowing the attack didn't hit its target and inwardly growing frustrated at the situation. Chase Young attacking like this didn't make any sense at all, but this situation could be more acceptably handled if Clay, Kimiko, or Omi had showed up already for some backup. There was no way they couldn't hear this ruckus going on.

* * *

Back inside the Temple, The dots on an upside down Omi's head flared, and his eyes opened.

"My Tiger Instincts sense that something is on!"

A crash sounded, and Omi agilely dropped from the ceiling and shot out of his Cubicle to investigate.

"Did you guys hear that?" Kimiko said, stepping out of her cubicle and shifting into a stance.

Omi nodded seriously at her, and Clay stepped out of his cubicle and tipped his hat.

"Sounds like trouble," Clay said, his demeanor quickly growing less tired and more serious. "With a heapin' sidin' of evil." Another series of crashes sounded, and the three wasted no time in sprinting for the temple courtyard, oblivious of the yellow glow that began to encompass their forms.

* * *

Looking at one of the random Temple monks he'd just saved, Raimundo began to take the first steps in alleviating his frustration and gave the monk instructions.

"Sound the alarm and wake the others up; I'll hold off Scaly Butt." The monk nodded at Raimundo's instructions before his eyes widened like saucers. Out of the corner of his eye, Raimundo caught a glimpse of dark green energy and instantly sprang back into fighting mode.

"WIND!" He shouted, whipping out his Nunchaku and sending a thundering blast of Wind to counter the attack. The wind whipped away the green energy to reveal Chase Young standing mere meters away from Raimundo, still in the eye of the storm of Raimundo's attack, and visibly unfazed by it as a pointed, lingering smirk incised his features. Raimundo grit his teeth and prepared to send another attack Chase's way before Chase reached out an arm and grabbed his Wind again.

But this time, instead of turning dark green, Raimundo's wind attack disappeared instantly. The Blade of The Nebula appeared in Chase's hands, and Raimundo barely had time for a confused 'huh' before Chase suddenly flashed in front of him and sent him flying through a half dozen Temple pagodas.

Deciding quickly not to let Chase get away with stealing his Wudai Weapon, he shot up from the remains of a destroyed pagoda and through a ceiling to the nights skies, jetting off back in Chase's direction before frowning as he looked down on the scene below.

The Temple monks were crowded in the center of the courtyard, cowering like a family of bunnies in a wolf's den as Chase stalked up to them.

Raimundo wondered why the monks hadn't hightailed it out of here already before he saw the hoard of Junglecats that surrounded them. Eye's hardening, Raimundo quickly shot to the ground below, landing in front of the temple monks and dropping into a swift sweep kick to get rid of the jungle cats. Instead of sprawling backwards like Raimundo had expected, the Junglecats merely dispersed in the wind.

_Holograms._ He realized, suddenly growing even more alert.

Before he even had the chance to pull his concentration away from what he now realized to be blatant distraction, a pair of yellow glows blurred by him, and he heard the distinct sound of a weapon hitting flesh.

Eyes widening, he looked back and realized that Chase Young had just taken down one of the Temple monks, and was speedily moving to attack the remaining temple monks.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Raimundo whipped around towards Chase, letting out a battle cry of his element to send a howling wind onslaught at Chase. The attack braced closer to Chase, the distance closing in from yards to feet, to inches to centimeters - but at the last second, Chase dodged it easily, disappearing in a flash.

Then, the sound of more metallic slashes rang through the air, and the temple monks remaining dropped like flies, quickly collapsing to the ground one by one as black and gold blurs flashed by them.

Worried, Raimundo looked at the knocked out elders before another flash pulled his attention away from them. Whipping around, Raimundo glared at a cool and collected Chase Young, who stood meters away.

Swept with a wave of rage at the Heylin warrior, Raimundo took a stance before calling on his element.

"WIND!" Raimundo slammed his hands together, and a raging torrent of air screeched through the nights atmosphere, tearing for Chase like a bullet train.

Eyes narrowing, Chase shot a hand out nanoseconds before the wind could touch him, and a dark green flood of energy instantly shot from his palm, easily engulfing Raimundo's element as it rushed for the Wind Warrior.

Lacking the time to dodge such a massive blast and caught completely off guard, Raimundo brought up his arms in a defensive position in front of his face, and the energy blast flooded full force into him. The green energy completely enshrouded Raimundo from sight, its darkness flooding for what seemed like minutes.

Until, finally, it rushed by him and dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

Raimundo blinked. He'd expected to have been blasted through a few temple walls, but instead, the energy had merely given him a weird, warm feeling.

Looking down at his hands, he noticed a faint yellow glow that had begun to dissipate, and a familiar black and red sleeve. Then, a clang was heard, and Raimundo snapped back to attention, remembering that he still had a certain Heylin warrior to deal with.

Looking up, his eyes widened at the empty space where Chase once was. The unwelcome visitor had vanished, almost as mysteriously and quickly as he'd appeared.

Before Raimundo even had time to comprehend where the armored warrior had gone off to, the temple alert lanterns each blared blindingly, switching on one by one with a distinct clapping noise.

Master Fung, Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo each rushed out of the temple, and they all froze once they saw the fallen temple monks that littered the courtyard. Clay instinctively covered Omi's eyes with his hat, and Kimiko's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes widening as they scanned the scene, Dojo's eyes bloated and nearly escaped his head as Master Fung's face paled to an extent not seen since the Mala Mala Jong incident, aged blue orbs widening and almost draining in color as he paled as if he'd seen a ghost. Other Temple monks quickly erupted from the temple, each checking on their fallen brothers.

"Wha..." the appalled Master breathed in shock, stammering.

"What happened?"

One of the injured temple monks groaned weakly at Master Fung's words as Raimundo lowered his arms from shielding his face and turned around to answer Master Fung's question.

"It was Raimundo..." The injured temple monk croaked, eyelids drooping. "He attacked us."


End file.
